The news about a new strain of the coronavirus discovered in the Kingdom, set off all the alarms worldwide. Is it a more contagious variant? Could it be more lethal? Would it affect the vaccines that are already underway? Scientists working in the UK help us understand the true scope of this new variant of the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization is investigating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The new strain appeared in the county of Kent, in the south-east of England, about two months ago. To this day, it would be the culprit for more than 60% of new infections in the London region. However, the mutation detected in the African country is different from that of the United Kingdom, since it appears to be less infectious even though they have coincided at the same time. With these data on the table, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC ) have stated in recent days that this variant could have a contagion capacity of up to 70% higher.
The World Health Organization is investigating variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The new strain appeared in the county of Kent, in the south-east of England, about two months ago. To this day, it would be the culprit for more than 60% of new infections in the London region. However, the mutation detected in the African country is different from that of the United Kingdom, since it appears to be less infectious even though they have coincided at the same time. With these data on the table, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC ) have stated in recent days that this variant could have a contagion capacity of up to 70% higher.
On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an unprecedented level of alert in the south of England, accompanied by mass lockdowns and the cancellation of all Christmas gatherings with people outside of those who share the same roof. On the other hand, the Minister of Health, Matt Hancock, declared that the new strain was "out of control" in the south of England. The echo of his statements caused the massive cancellation of flights to the United Kingdom in the European Union, a movement that extends to Latin America and other latitudes.
Regarding transmission, the WHO confirmed that the new strain of Covid-19 VUI-202012/01 is being transmitted more quickly than other strains. Studies show that the new mutation seems to have a 0.4 higher reproduction number, so the virus would be becoming more contagious by rising from 1.1 to 1.5. This reproduction number indicates how many people someone who is infected can give it to. When the number is above 1, the epidemic grows. Epidemiologist María Van Kerkhove stated that it is still being studied whether this increased transmission is caused by the mutation detected itself or by the behavior of people who may not be following the basic rules of hygiene and distancing. Therefore, the doctor asked to remain calm and explained that despite Hancock's statements, the new strain is not "out of control." He also indicated that there is no evidence that its morbidity is greater or that the cases caused by the mutation are more serious, "although it is being studied."
Despite all this, the main concern is that the new strain of Covid-19 has mutated in such a way that the vaccines that were developed against the virus are useless against it.
The WHO explained that until now, there is no evidence that the new strain is more serious, nor affects the vaccines developed or that are already in progress. He stressed that the United Kingdom has reported that they do not believe it will impact the vaccine, although he indicated that "a lot of information is arriving and studies are still being done." In addition, the WHO emergency director, Michael Ryan, extended this perception to the mutation detected in South Africa when he indicated that "none of the variants of SARS-COV-2" has shown that it does not respond to the COVID19 vaccine. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, head of the scientific area of the World Health Organization explained that all viruses mutate and that some do so faster than others.
“The flu mutates a lot and that's why vaccines have to be changed. SARS-COV-2 is mutating much less than influenza, and neither variant has impacted the susceptibility of the virus to drugs or the vaccine, "he added.
Finally, the World Health Organization called for
that it is very important not to lower your guard, since the measures that can stop the spread are the same that have been used so far: continue with basic hygiene measures such as maintaining a physical distance of at least two meters, wearing a mask and washing hands frequently. In conclusion, to this day there are no elements to justify panic.
So far this post, thank you very much for reading. Content researched and written by me, the images used are cited to their respective source.
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